Undergraduate Course: Global Hydrology (GEGR10146)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course explores the key concepts, methods, and challenges in understanding and managing water resources and hydrological extremes at a global scale. |
| Course description |
This course provides a foundation in the key hydro-climatological processes that drive the global hydrological cycle, enabling students to develop a comprehensive understanding of the interactions between the atmosphere, land surface, and oceans that control terrestrial freshwater availability. Through a combination of theoretical lectures and practical exercises, students will gain proficiency in analysing and interpreting hydro-climatological data, assessing water availability, and evaluating the impacts of climate change and human activities on the hydrological cycle. Additionally, the course will explore innovative approaches and technologies for monitoring, modelling, and managing hydrological extremes, with a focus on global perspectives and interdisciplinary solutions. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and critical thinking abilities needed to address complex water-related challenges in a changing world.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Students must have some familiarity with Python before taking this course.
This course is open to 3rd and 4th year students. This course is open to all university students, but priority will be given to students on the Geography Degree Programmes. Students from other programmes may be able to join if there is space. Please contact geoset.ug.drummond@ed.ac.uk to check availability. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 38 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
152 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Visualization Exercise (30%) :
Use Python to create a figure from a supplied dataset that illustrates how Scotland's hydrology has changed in recent decades.
Hydrological Data Analysis (70%):
A short research analysis presented as a Jupyter notebook on a chosen topic.
Students must attain an overall mark of 40% (or above) in order to pass the course. |
| Feedback |
Feedback will be provided from lecturer and demonstrators during practical sessions and during class discussions.
Written feedback will be provided for assessed coursework.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Describe the key hydro-climatological processes that govern terrestrial water availability, and how they can be quantified.
- Explain how environmental change may affect the global hydrological cycle in terms of the underlying physical processes.
- Contrast the various types and sources of hydrological data, and defend the use of specific data sources in particular contexts.
- Develop an original research question related to large-scale hydrological change.
- Formulate a data analysis workflow in Python to answer a research question, and visualize scientific results.
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Reading List
Robinson, M. and Ward, R. (2017) Hydrology: Principles and processes. IWA Publishing.
Davie, T. and Quinn, N. W. (2019) Fundamentals of Hydrology (3rd Edition). Routledge. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
1. Theoretical understanding of global hydrological cycle.
2. Ability to analyse environmental data to answer scientific questions about the terrestrial water cycle.
3. Ability to communicate scientific results in a visually engaging way.
4. Foundation in Python for data analysis.
5. Ability to use online resources to solve programming tasks. |
| Special Arrangements |
This course is open to 3rd and 4th year students. This course is open to all university students, but priority will be given to students on the Geography Degree Programmes. Students from other programmes may be able to join if there is space. Please contact geoset.ug.drummond@ed.ac.uk to check availability. |
| Keywords | Hydrology,Global Change |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Simon Moulds
Tel:
Email: Simon.Moulds@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Leigh Corstorphine
Tel: (0131 6)50 9847
Email: lcorstor@ed.ac.uk |
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